In the Arms of the Ocean
by Tuba-chan
Summary: Kotori learns the hard way that you should never take advice from Honoka. But, if it lands her the most gorgeous woman she's ever met, can it really be counted as "bad" advice?
Kotori sighed for the umpteenth time, her stare still concentrated on the motionless girl with blue hair. She and her best friend, Honoka, had come to visit the beach at the beginning of the summer to celebrate their graduation. While there, Kotori made a discovery that led her to come back to the beach every single day from that moment on: the lifeguard was super attractive. Granted, Kotori had not gotten closer than the foot of her post, but it was close enough to make out the girl's defined muscles.

"You know, Kotori-chan, you should just go up and talk to her." Honoka spoke up from her position on the sandy ground.

"I know, but it's not that simple! What am I supposed to say? 'Hi, I'm Kotori, I've been creepily watching you from afar for the past month; do you want to hang out some time?'"

"Well don't tell her all of that, you dummy. Just, I dunno, ask her what her favorite food is, her favorite color, stuff like that." A young couple ran past the two of them, laughing as they pushed each other into the water.

"Mnn, I must have it really bad if I'm imagining us like those two.." Watching the lovers splash and tackle each other into the waves gave Honoka an idea.

"Hey, Kotori-chan! How about you pretend-drown to get the lifeguard to notice you? Then, once you thank her for saving you, you offer to take her out to lunch in repayment! It's the perfect plan."

Kotori furrowed her brows, trying to make the correct decision. "But.. isn't it wrong to fake something like that? You know, 'the boy who cried wolf' and all that stuff."

"But Kotori-channn!" Honoka whined and pushed Kotori out towards the crashing waves. "It always works in the movies, so please just trust me!"

Kotori brought a hand to her chin, before nodding and smiling brightly. "Okay, I'll do it!" And so, Kotori took her first tentative steps out into the ocean. The water was surprisingly cold for such a hot day, but that didn't bother her one bit. She continued to proceed further and further, the murky water getting closer to her neck. She kept going on like this until she could barely see Honoka's figure on the beach. Vaguely, she could see the ginger-haired girl giving her a thumbs up.

Now that she was out as far as she thought was distant enough, she began to flail around and thrash her legs. "Oh nooo, I'm drowning, ahhh!" Kotori spoke in a very unconvincing voice, and of course, the young woman did not notice her at all.

She decided to kick it up a notch, raising the frequency and speed of her flails. "Helpppp! I can't swimmm!" Still nothing from the lifeguard, not even a glance. "Ueh, this is useless. I can't believe I listened to Hono-" Kotori had no time to finish her thought when a huge wave came crashing right over her, sweeping her along with it. Struggling to swim back to the surface, Kotori gasped for air whenever she could. "H-HELP, THE CURRENT'S GOT ME! HONOKA-CHAN!" She was swept under the waves once again as Honoka watched from her same spot.

"Wow, Kotori-chan's a really good actress!" It wasn't until Honoka watched for 2, then 3, then 5 minutes of Kotori staying under that she realized the girl probably wasn't faking it any more. "Oh no.. Kotori-chan hasn't come up in awhile... Oh no, what have I DONE?! HELP!" Honoka stood up, holding onto her bikini bottom as it tried to slip off. Sprinting almost as fast as the speed of light, she came to a panting stop in front of the lifeguard's stand.

"Hello? Can I help-"

"MY FRIEND IS DROWNING, YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER!" Honoka pointed frantically to the spot where Kotori had miraculously come back to the surface, fighting as hard as she could to breathe and not fall back under.

Amber eyes squinted to make out the figure, and once spying Kotori, jumped from her post straight to the ground. She surprisingly suffered no recoil from the fall, and dashed down the sand before immediately diving into the icy sea.

Meanwhile, Kotori could barely see her hands in front of her face. She could only hear the sound of the waves that tossed her, her every sense filled with nothing but the frigid liquid surrounding her entire body.

Finally succumbing to the crushing pressure on her lungs, she blacked out just as a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her.

* * *

"1, 2, 3!" A pause, and puffs of air were forced down her throat. She could very faintly make out the taste of salt and strawberries on her lips. _"Wait, strawberries?"_ As Kotori came to, she was half-expecting to wake up in her soft bed back at home. But the grainy sand beneath her and the warm breeze against her skin said otherwise. Peeking through half-shut eyes, she certainly wasn't expecting the object of her desires to be hovering over her, rapidly pumping her hands against Kotori's own chest, and breathing into her mouth to get the oxygen flowing through her lungs again.

She would have fallen unconscious yet again had the girl not noticed that Kotori began gasping for air once more. "Thank god, I thought we lost you there for a bit." The girl wiped sweat off her brow, and stood tall before her.

Kotori fought the urge to faint as she gazed upon her chiseled abs, well-defined biceps, and thighs that looked powerful enough to crush steel. "Uhh.."

"Here," Kotori was handed a bottle of pure water, lukewarm from having been sitting in the bright rays of the sun. "You swallowed a lot of sea water out there, so you'll have to re-hydrate yourself."

"Okay.. U-um, could you please tell me your name so I can properly thank you?" Kotori had never stuttered this much in her entire life, but she'd also never expected to be talking to her crush like this.

Umi's lips curved upwards as she stretched an arm out to take Kotori's hand. "The name's Umi, Sonoda Umi."

Honoka snickered off to the side. "Pfft, a l-lifeguard at the ocean.. named U-Umi? Ahahaha, get it?! ..Guys?" She noticed that she was being ignored by the both of them, and opted to pout by herself.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kotori. I just wish we could have met some other way, you know, without you having to stop me from drowning.. Sorry for causing trouble, I didn't know I had gone out so far."

Umi shook her head reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, it's my job to save people." Putting an arm around Kotori's waist, she helped her onto her feet. "Do you think you can walk on your own?"

Hearing a small "yes" mumbled from her, Umi decided that that was where her job was done. Turning around with a swish of her hips, she began to strut back to her post.

Kotori saw that her opportunity to get to know the girl better was fading very quickly. Honoka waved her arms around from behind her, "Go, go, goooo! What are you doing? Now's your chance!"

"W-wait!" Kotori mustered up the courage to call out to Umi, who turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"Is there anything else you need?"

Kotori fiddled with the hem of her swimsuit. "Well.. as thanks for saving me, could I treat you to some lunch after your shift is over? Maybe we could learn some more about each other too."

Umi's face softened, and she pointed just past Kotori's head, toward a small beach shack nearby. "I have a friend that works over at that noodle stand. She can get us free ramen, if that sounds good to you."

Beaming, Kotori nodded vigorously. "That sounds amazing! So, see you after your shift?"

Umi hummed in approval, trotting back to finish out the rest of her work day. Once she was out of ear-shot, Honoka and Kotori squealed to each other in excitement. "You did it, Kotori-chan!"

"I did, I did! I got my date with Umi-chan! Oh my gosh, do you think we'll have more dates after this too?"

Honoka nodded furiously. "Obviously! That woman is a total keeper, but I wish she'd laugh at my dumb jokes like you do, hmph.."

Kotori giggled ecstatically, patting Honoka on the back. "Aw, Honoka-chan, you'll find someone who loves dumb jokes just as much as you do!"

Honoka fake sniffled, reaching up to wipe away a non-existent tear. "You really think so?"

Kotori's teeth shone brightly. "I know for certain." Both smiling as wide as they possibly could, they ran and played on the beach while they waited for the late afternoon to come.

It seemed like forever before the sun was finally halfway set. Signaling to Kotori, Umi sped down the ladder, skipping steps along the way.

Still feeling giddy, Kotori turned to Honoka, receiving a dopey grin of encouragement. Smoothing down her gray hair, she met Umi halfway. "So, are you ready for our afternoon lunch?" Nodding with heavy enthusiasm, Kotori linked arms with the tall girl, and waved back to the friend she'd be leaving behind. "I'll meet you back at my house!"

Honoka hummed, trying not to pity herself over the fact that she was single and going to be all alone for however long Kotori planned to stay out with her crush. In a depressed manner, she began the journey home, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the girl making her way to the lifeguard's station. "Woah, woah, WOAH, who is that?!" Luckily, Kotori and Umi were still within hearing distance.

Confused, Umi turned to see the short girl making her way to them. "Oh, her? That's my coworker."

"Is she aware that she's a _goddess_? Holy smokes, she's HOT!" Umi wasn't sure what to say in response, but Honoka couldn't care less. She was too busy having her jaw practically fall off when she saw those emerald eyes, that pale brown hair that framed her face perfectly, and those ridiculously toned legs that were to die for.

Honoka soon found herself in the same situation that Kotori was in. Putting her hand to her cheek in distress, she began to think over her options on how to attract this beautiful girl. "Wait, I've got it!"

"Huh, you've got what?" However, Honoka didn't hear Kotori's question, too focused on her "genius" idea. Stumbling over her feet along the way, she bellowed, "OCEAN GODS, WHISK ME AWAY INTO YOUR BRINEY DEPTHS!" before plunging into the green-blue tide.

"Honoka-chan, what are you doing?!" Kotori looked on in worry, as her friend re-surfaced with a loud gasp.

"UWAAAAH, IT'S S-SO COOOLD!" Honoka shivered and hugged herself as water flowed down her pale skin. Out of nowhere, a large wave slammed into her, pulling her bikini free.

When Umi realized what had happened, she turned completely red and covered her face with both hands to avoid seeing.

Kotori cupped her mouth so Honoka could hear her better. "HONOKA-CHAN, YOUR BATHING SUIT CAME OFF!"

To her horror, Honoka saw that her friend was right, and tried to cover up her chest and lower region simultaneously. "A-AAAAAHHHHH!" She collapsed into the rolling sea due to sheer embarrassment. Umi moved to rescue Honoka before it was too late, but was beat as her coworker from before rushed into the water.

"Right as soon as I get here, hmm?" She called back to her blue-haired partner as she darted past the two and toward where she saw the floating body.

"Yeah, already.. Sorry, Tsubasa."

Tsubasa waved her hand off to communicate that she didn't mind. Reaching underneath Honoka, she moved to pull her out of the water, but discovered that she'd accidentally grabbed her backside. "Woops, I see we've got a skinny dipper here."

The tips of Umi's ears joined the rest of her face in becoming bright red; her hands were still clamped firmly over her eyelids (you know, because closing those as tight as humanly possible wasn't enough). Kotori only sighed to herself. "I told Honoka-chan that her swimsuit was too loose for her to wear..."

Now that Tsubasa was back to them, she gestured to the ground with a brief nod. "Hey, could you lay out a towel so I can set your friend down?" Kotori bound across the short distance, and pulled a beach towel from her bag. Throwing it down, she backed up so that Tsubasa would have enough room to do her work. Umi had not moved an inch, for fear she'd accidentally see something.

After gently placing Honoka onto the towel and assessing that her heart was still beating, Tsubasa found Umi in that same position. Rolling her eyes, she mockingly said, "Umi, _please_ , you're acting like you've never seen a pair of boobs in your entire life."

Umi gulped, peeking from between her thin fingers. She didn't see Honoka right away, but she did see some gross boys trying to look at Honoka. They were the ones who probably "hadn't seen a pair of boobs" in their entire life as Tsubasa had stated. Ripping her hands away from her face, she shot the most threatening glares at them that she could. It worked without a problem, thanks to how menacing she was when angry. One could swear that she had the ability to turn people into stone.

Now that there were no dumb prepubescent boys trying to sneak peeks, Tsubasa set to work on Honoka. Since she hadn't really stopped breathing, nor had her heart stopped working, Tsubasa said she just needed a little "wake up call".

"But how are you going to wake her up?" Kotori curiously questioned.

A small, mischievous smirk overtook Tsubasa's features. "Like this!" Bending down to the unconscious girl's level, she pressed her lips fully against Honoka's salt-water covered ones.

This time it was Kotori who covered Umi's eyes. The girl was so pure that Kotori assumed something like this would break her. _"I better not introduce her to Nozomi and Eri.."_

Tsubasa pulled away with a satisfied lick to her lips, and Honoka struggled to sit up and take in what was going on. "Unn, where am I?.." Noticing that she was still completely naked, she screeched, trying to retreat into the towel pressing against her back.

She stopped shrieking only when the girl in front of her covered her with a warm house robe. Confused blue eyes met with calm green. "I usually keep one of those around in case something like this happens. But, I do have to warn you, it's usually considered proper etiquette to not go swimming naked at the beach. Granted there are nude beaches, or you could swim naked in your own pool, but public beaches are a no-go."

Honoka hid her face behind her arms as she turned around with a long whimper. "Uehhh, this is what I get for borrowing Nozomi-chan's bathing suit! I-I wasn't swimming naked! I-"

"Relax," Tsubasa quietly giggled, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Honoka's now clothed shoulder. "I'm only teasing. It happens to the best of us, so don't worry about it. Now that that's behind us, what's your name?" Tsubasa couldn't help glancing up and down Honoka's perfectly-sculpted body, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't taken pleasure in getting to see how she looked beneath her clothes. _"Good lord, I'm the biggest, gayest creep there is."_

"No, I'm pretty sure that title belongs to our friend Nozomi-chan." Tsubasa's eyes widened in terror when she realized she hadn't only thought that to herself. She thanked whatever gods were out there that Honoka did not seem fazed by the phrase she'd let slip out.

In the meantime, Honoka was just about to give out her name to Tsubasa when she found herself lost in the glimmering pools that were her eyes. If Tsubasa was the gay creep, then she was the gay idiot. "Ahhh... bahhhh..." She dumbly mumbled as drool trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Well nice to meet you, 'Ahhh bahhhh', I'm Kira Tsubasa. Just call me Tsubasa, I think after what's happened today, there's absolutely no reason for you to be formal with me."

Honoka still hadn't snapped out of her trance; the drool began to make its way down her collar bone from how much was spilling out. "Ahhhh..."

"Well this is such a pleasant conversation; why don't we continue it at a little dessert buffet I know? It serves the best cakes, and you look like somebody who enjoys sweet things." Still only receiving incoherent muttering and drooling, Tsubasa decided to count that as a successful "yes" to her proposal. "Alright then, I'll see you in 8 hours!" The dizzy girl barely registered the plump lips being planted against her cheek, but somehow noticed enough to start drooling more.

Watching the exchange in disbelief, Kotori covered her face with the palm of her hand at how much of a dork her friend was. Stepping away from her date, she lightly shoved Honoka a bit, which dragged her out of her previous trance. "Eh? What's going on?" She made a distressed face when she noticed that she was coated in her own sticky saliva.

"You silly dope, you just got a date with Tsubasa-san!"

Honoka tilted her head in confusion. "Tsubasa-san? Who is that?"

Kotori furrowed her brow as she brought a hand to her cheek. "Were you that far gone? She's the girl who saved you. You know, the girl who you totally have the hots for?"

Gears began working together in Honoka's brain as she hurriedly glanced between Kotori and the gorgeous girl who had taken Umi's spot on lifeguard duty. "W-wait, you mean.. I scored a date with HER?! Me? Honoka the stupid dork?! Date? WITH THAT HOT WOMAN?!" She couldn't contain her fumbling words, incredulously talking to herself.

"Yes, you got a date with her! But please remember that she has a name besides "that smoking hot lifeguard"." For what was likely the millionth time that day, Honoka squealed at the top of her lungs, standing up to hug Kotori in joy. Tsubasa curiously glanced at them with a small grin etched onto her face.

Umi awkwardly cleared her throat, and they were reminded that Kotori and she were supposed to head out to lunch. "Gah, I'm keeping you from your own date! Have fun, Kotori-chan!" Honoka gave a small thumbs up, before going over to watch Tsubasa do her job. In other words, she was going to stare at Tsubasa's muscles from her spot beneath the lifeguard station and drool all over herself again.

Kotori returned the gesture in kind, turning back to Umi. "Sorry I took so long, how about we go get those noodles now?"

Umi grinned as she placed an arm around Kotori's shoulder. "No need to worry, so let's go before they get crowded!"

* * *

"Mmmm, nya, this is the tastiest bowl of ramen I've ever had." An orange-haired girl was in her own version of heaven as she sipped the flavorful juices and slurped the juicy noodles of an udon bowl that was intended for her to serve. Nonetheless, temptation had gotten the better of her, which brought her to eat the fragrant dish.

"RIN!" Maki stormed behind Rin, surprising her out of the blue.

"UWAH, M-MAKI-CHAN, HI!" Trying to hide the bowl behind her back, Rin stretched to lean against one of the kitchen walls. "What brings you here, nya?"

Maki narrowed her eyes to slits, moving to try to look at what Rin was hiding, even though she already knew what it was. "You're eating the customers' orders again, aren't you?"

Rin gasped in an attempt to look shocked. "Don't accuse Rin of such things, nya!" She pointed at the red-head with her right hand, which was unfortunately the hand holding the half-eaten food.

Maki yanked the bowl from the hyper-active girl before she could even protest. "Rin, you can't keep eating the noodles meant for customers!" Placing the still warm meal off to the side, Maki sighed and shook her head.

"When YOU own your own ramen business, you can run it however you want. This is mine, and I will run it how I want to, nya!"

Maki gritted her teeth and groaned. "You don't even own it yet, it's your mom's! And if you keep this up, you're going to ruin the business so that there WON'T be a ramen shop for you to run!"

This time, Rin was the one glaring. "HOW DARE YOU SAY I'M RUINING OUR BUSINESS-NYA! MAKI-CHAN I- Wait, what are you doing-nya?"

Maki was currently scribbling on a small, palm-sized note-pad. "I'm docking your pay to cover the noodles you've eaten."

"NYAAA?! THAT'S NOT-"

Maki ignored all of Rin's screams and shouts of protest. "I calculated the total, your next... 20 paychecks will need to have 15% taken out of them in order to cover everything you've eaten so far."

Rin gaped as she looked down at the small print. "No way! There is no way that is correct, nya!"

Maki glanced across her addition. "Oh, sorry, you're right." Rin sighed in relief, wiping the sweat caused by all that stress from her forehead. "I forgot to count in the udon you just ate, make that the next 21."

"Uehhh?! You're being too unfair-nya!"

They kept arguing like this, unbeknownst to them, the whole shop could hear what was going on behind the kitchen doors. Thankfully, "the whole shop" only consisted of Kotori and Umi, who had just walked in. They awkwardly took their seats at the large marble counter. "Um.. does this sort of thing always happen?" Kotori curiously glanced over to the area where all the cooking took place.

Umi exhaled a large amount of air. "Unfortunately, it does happen quite a bit. Rin, you've got some customers here!" Umi hollered to catch the young girl's attention.

Stumbling out of the small, closed off section, Rin happily greeted the two with a smile. "Welcome to Hoshizora Noodles-nyaaa! Umi-chan, I see you brought a new friend, who is she?"

"Minami Kotori, what's your name?" Kotori stuck out her right hand for a firm hand-shake.

"Hoshizora Rin-nya! Umi-chan hasn't brought over a friend in awhile, what can Rin get you?" In a flash, she pulled out the small pad that had previously been used for Maki's calculations.

Speaking of Maki, the violet-eyed girl furiously stormed out into the dining area. "Rin, I wasn't done in there! I swear, I'm going to rip you into- ..why did you not tell me we have people here?" Maki blushed a pale pink color as she faced away from the newly discovered girls.

"You think it's okay to charge out at me like that when there aren't customers-nya?! But anyway, it's just Umi-chan and her friend."

Maki scanned Kotori for a moment, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Well, I'm Nishikino Maki. This is my stupid noodle-loving friend, Rin."

"Heyyy, that's not a very nice way to refer to me, nya!" Kotori quietly peered behind them at the colorful menu-board, ignoring them as they began to argue again.

"You guys, you're embarrassing me in front of Kotori!" Umi, now frustrated, gestured at the silent girl next to her.

"If she wants to hang out here, she has to get used to this-nya."

Maki groaned, marching her way back to get Kotori and Umi some drinks. "I could have been HOME today watching stupid comedies all night long, but instead, I'm stuck here with a NOODLE-BRAIN!"

"Rin is not a noodle-brain nya! Maki-chan is just a tsundere who wanted to stay home and snuggle with Nico-chan nya!"

"Th-that is not why I wanted to stay home!"

"Then why are you blushing, nya?" Rin smirked in victory as Maki continued her way to the soft drink machine they kept in the back. "Drinks and everything are on me-nya, so don't worry! Maki-chan should be getting you guys a couple ice teas. But oh, did Kotori-chan maybe want something different? I know Umi-chan always wants an ice tea, but this is your first time here-nya."

Kotori shook her head with a grin. "Ice tea is just fine. But about before, did I hear you say 'Nico?'"

"Mm, I did. Why, do you know Nico-chan nya?"

Umi and Rin both looked to Kotori in curiosity. "Well, not personally, but I heard my friend Nozomi-chan mention her name before. She was going to introduce us."

"Oh, ohhh! You know Nozomi-chan nya! You wouldn't by chance know Eri-chan too?" Rin leaned against the corner of the counter while Maki came back with two identical ice teas. A small paper umbrella sat to the side of the drink, while a lemon slice clung to the glass rim.

"It's almost impossible to see one of them without the other, so yes I do know her too."

"You guys are talking about Nozomi and Eri?" Maki set the cold, tall glasses in front of the two girls and took her place next to Rin. Kotori uttered a "thank you" as Umi nodded in silent confirmation.

"It's such a small world nya, Kotori-chan knows them! By the way, how did Kotori-chan and Umi-chan meet?" Rin tilted her head to the side. "You guys haven't explained yet."

"Oh, right. Well, I was just working my normal shift when Kotori's friend ran up to me to tell me that she was drowning-"

"KOTORI-CHAN DROWNED NYA?!" Rin screeched in shocked concern. The 3 girls next to her grimaced as her piercing voice reached their ears.

"Rin, don't interrupt Umi while she's telling the story!" Maki whacked Rin across her cheek, causing her to cry out in pain.

"..Yes, Kotori did drown, and so I had to save her. After she came to, she wanted to go out for lunch, and now here we are."

"D'awww, Umi-chan's a hero nya! Kotori-chan is swooning I'll bet!" Rin danced around happily while Kotori and Umi both blushed at the notion. Truth be told, Kotori was still swooning indeed. But what did Umi think of her?

Little did she know, Umi's head was full of nothing but thoughts of how cute the girl she'd rescued was. However, she was unsure of how to romantically approach Kotori. Wouldn't that be taking advantage of her? _"She would feel forced to go out with me because of my saving her.. I simply can't ask her."_

"Hello, I'm here to pick up my order of udon?" A brunette boy who looked about 17 years old strolled in as he pushed the long hair out of his face.

Maki glared at Rin, who nervously began sweating and stammering. "W-well nya, your order sort of had some.. "complications" nya. Do you mind waiting a-a bit while I make another one nya? I'll discount it for the inconvenience."

Once it was confirmed that there was no problem with that, Rin gulped as she returned to the kitchen. Much to her dismay, Maki followed close behind to make sure that another _incident_ would not occur.

* * *

"WOAH, you were right about this place!" Honoka shoveled bites of rich cake into her mouth as she spoke to Tsubasa, bits of chewed up pieces falling out now and then. The two were now on their own date like they'd planned.

"I'm glad you agree. But, Honoka-san, tell me some stuff about _you_." Tsubasa lovingly gazed at Honoka, despite the girl's poor table-manners.

"Mmph?" Honoka swallowed before continuing. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just anything you think I should know about you. We could start off with the basics, like your favorite color and food. In return, I'll tell you some stuff about me; does that sound like a deal?"

Honoka enthusiastically nodded, and for the first time that night, set down her fork. "Okay, firstly, my favorite color is orange."

Tsubasa nodded to let her know she could keep going. "Alright, umm... Oh! My favorite food of all time is bread; I just can't get enough of it!"

"Interesting," Tsubasa giggled at Honoka's sudden passion for bread. "I figured you'd be more of a cake girl with everything that you've eaten so far."

Honoka blushed and realized what she meant by "with everything that you've eaten so far". On Tsubasa's side, there were 2 finished plates, and 1 plate in the progress of being nibbled on. While on Honoka's side, there were 7 finished plates, and 2 that she was working on eating at the same time. "Yeah, I tend to... eat quite a bit. I hope that's not a turn off for you or something."

Tsubasa laughed once again, putting her hand on Honoka's shoulder to comfort her. "Not at all, I love to cook, so naturally I'd love somebody who'll eat all of what I make."

Honoka sighed in relief before she continued to chow down on a rather chocolate-covered piece of sponge-cake. "Ermf, sah whas youw favowite food?" Honoka spoke through her next bite.

Tsubasa tapped her chin in deep thought. "Hmm, that's a tough one.. I suppose I have too many to narrow it down to just one."

Honoka licked a piece of stray icing off her lips. "Ohh, a fellow food lover?"

"You bet; I consider myself a professional food lover." Honoka and Tsubasa laughed in unison, and then fell into a peaceful silence. _"Wow, this Tsubasa girl and I have a ton in common! I hope things keep going well like this!"_

* * *

Back at "Hoshizora Noodles", Umi and Kotori were getting along just as well as the girls at the cake buffet. It turned out that while the two were opposite in regards to some tastes, they shared the same values and had many common interests.

"Oh, you know archery?" Kotori leaned forward on her elbows as she watched Umi with interest.

"Yeah, I've taken it since I was younger. I rarely miss the center." Umi bragged, earning a small giggle from the girl beside her. She was going to mention more about her kendo and archery lessons, but she became puzzled by a nearby sniffling noise.

Unknown to her, it was only Rin eavesdropping on them. She'd spontaneously burst into tears. "U-uguuu, Maki-channn! Umi-chan is growing up so fast-nya! B-by the end of the night, she won't be our little girl an-anymore uhuuu!" She struggled to wipe the fast-flowing tears away with a kitten-embroidered handkerchief.

"Would you quit being a baby already? Umi wasn't a little girl anyway, let alone yours. Now get back to work!" Maki chopped Rin over the head with her arm.

"Owww! There aren't even any customers-nya! Which is a surprise, usually the place is packed right now-nya." Rin scratched her head. "OH OHHH! MAKI-CHAN, IT MUST BE FATE MAKING UMI-CHAN AND KOTORI-CHAN HAVE A NICE DATE AND GET TOGETHER-NYAAA!" Rin began excitedly pulling at Maki's apron and slapping her arm, but was abruptly put to a halt when Maki hit her harder this time.

"Did you hear that?" Kotori sat up straight and cocked her head to the side.

Umi looked around in confusion. "Hmm? I didn't hear anything."

"Maybe it was just my imagination.. Anyway, Umi-chan, tell me more about kendo practice!"

Umi blushed and brought a palm up to her neck. "But all I've done is go on and on about myself.. You should tell me some of what you do; I'm very curious to see your skills."

"Mnn, I guess I will. So, I design and create clothes most of the time." Kotori paused to take a small sip of her now considerably warmer ice tea.

"Really? I tried to sew once, but it didn't turn out all that well. What kind of clothes do you make?"

"Well, it depends really. I mostly try to make um, cute dresses I guess? That's a lame description, I know, but it's the best I can do."

"Hmm, well alright then. You should show me these "cute dresses" sometime. Perhaps model them for me?" Umi winked in the hopes that this was how flirting was supposed to work.

Whatever she was doing, it seemed to be working as Kotori turned bright pink at her offer. "N-no, I don't think I'd look that good in them. Maybe you should model them for me! I've been dying to find a model for all of them, and you'd be perfect!"

Umi shook her head with a heavy blush. "No, I really don't look good in a dress.." They kept on like this, blushing and laughing while Kotori tried to convince her to try on her dresses for her. Finally, Kotori calmed down, wiping away the tears her laughter had caused.

"I still think you'd look good in one of my dresses." Kotori and Umi leaned closer together so they could hear each other better, and before Umi could retort, she became distracted by someone whispering in her direction.

That someone being none other than a meddling Rin. "Kiss her-nyaaa! Kissss!" The cat-like girl was yanked back by a strong arm (no doubt belonging to a pissed off Maki, who was certainly going to teach her a lesson about this later). Umi narrowed her eyes at Rin, and abruptly stood up.

"Um, Kotori, do you mind if I be right back for a moment?" Umi shot a glare in the direction of Rin and Maki, but remained gentle when she looked back to Kotori.

"Go ahead, I'll wait here." Kotori nodded with a smile, and so Umi speedily made her way into the cooking area.

"What are you guys doing?!" Umi spoke in hushed, but hurried whispers.

"Hey, don't blame me. Rin's doing everything I keep telling her _not_ to do!"

"But it's in the name of young love, Maki-chan! Have a heart-nya!" Rin poked Maki in the center of her chest, a fatal mistake. Fortunately, Umi saved her from the beating of a lifetime.

"Look, whatever your schemes are, stop them! I'm not trying to woo Kotori or anything,"

"Ohoooo, I never said anything about wooing her-nya!" Rin snickered and skipped around. "All the more reason to help you out with this; you'll have a girlfriend in no time-nya!"

"I don't want Kotori to be my girlfriend!" Umi all but shouted at Rin. If the 3 had been listening, they would have heard the quiet sigh of Kotori as she sulked her way back to her chair. Eavesdropping wasn't exactly her style, but she had been curious of what was so important that Umi had to rush her attention to it. Now she wished she hadn't.

If she'd stayed a bit longer, however, she would have heard Umi continue in a softer voice. "..Okay, maybe I do." Rin was going to shout in victory, until Maki clamped her hand tightly over her mouth. "But I'm no good at this romance stuff! And- Rin, no, do _not_ get any ideas. I don't want any help with this, okay?" Umi made Rin promise not to interfere with them any longer.

But that was a promise that Rin was willing to break.

So Umi made her way back to Kotori, slightly less embarrassed than before. "Sorry about that."

Kotori faked a smile, trying to make sure that Umi wouldn't see that she was upset. "That's okay; I don't mind."

Umi could still sense something was wrong when she saw that Kotori's smile didn't touch her eyes like the many other times. "Is something bothering you?" She reached out to wrap her arm around Kotori's shoulder, but the girl slid a bit to the left to avoid being embraced.

"No, I'm fine. But um, where were we?"

Umi frowned and retracted her arm to her side. "I believe we were talking about your dress designs?" Umi paid full attention to every word Kotori said, but scolded herself in her brain. _"Stupid, I knew she wasn't interested in me like that. Now I've probably gone and made things awkward."_

* * *

"Hey, you guys need to leave!"

Tsubasa raised an eyebrow when suddenly she and Honoka were confronted by a few employees and their manager. "Pardon me? I do believe we've allotted for the full package, which means we still have another half hour to spend here."

The manager rubbed at his sleep-ridden eyes, clearly annoyed. "I'm aware of that, but your friend here is eating me out of business!" He dramatically gestured to Honoka, who by now had eaten almost every cake they had to offer.

"Ueh? Ish this nawt all yew can eat?" Honoka frowned, and continued to munch on the cakes despite the blood vessels popping in the men in front of her's heads.

"'All you can eat' does not mean eat 26 entire cakes!" One employee pulled the cake away from Honoka, and dashed away before she could place her fork back into it.

"My cakeee!" Honoka whined and waited for Tsubasa to do something.

"I don't understand, 'all you can eat' means to eat all that you can possibly eat. If 26 cakes is how much she can eat, is she not following the rules?"

"GET OUT OF MY STORE!" Tsubasa and Honoka (who was much more sluggish from all the food she was digesting) were promptly chased out by a muscled man wearing a pink apron. "AND STAY OUT!"

"Man, I think I got you banned from that place... I'm sorry." Tsubasa couldn't bring herself to be mad when she turned to see Honoka looking like an injured puppy.

"Don't worry about it, I can always find us a new cake buffet. One that will gladly cater to your 26 cake needs!" Tsubasa chuckled and interlaced her fingers with Honoka's, so she could guide her down the road.

" _Oh my God, I'm holding Tsubasa's hand.. Oh my God; oh my God! I think my heart might explode."_

"Although, I must say, Honoka-san," Honoka tumbled out of her thoughts and tilted her head out of curiosity. "When it comes to eating a lot, you sure _take the cake_." Honoka stopped walking and refused to budge. Tsubasa noticed when suddenly she was jerked to a halt, since her hand was still in the grasp of Honoka. "Honoka-san?"

"That's probably the lamest joke I've ever heard."

Tsubasa smirked in Honoka's direction. "Too lame? I'll admit, it's not my best-"

Honoka cut her off with a prompt kiss on the lips. "I think I'm in love with you."

* * *

Rin held her cellphone close to her ear, ignoring all of Maki's protests. "Rin, she said not to interfere!"

"You wouldn't understand, Maki-chan, we have to get Kotori-chan and Umi-chan together-nya. Clearly my attempts alone aren't working, so we need to bring in the big guns-nya." The person on the other end of the line suddenly picked up. _"Hello?"_

"Nozomi-chan-nya, you've gotta come to the ramen shop quick! It's a romance emergency-nya!"

" _Say no more, I'm on my way."_ Before Maki could shout to stop her, Nozomi's phone clicked off. "Rin, I'm telling you this is a bad idea! You should really just leave those two alone!"

"But if I had left you and Nico-chan alone, you two would probably still be dropping hints and going nowhere-nya!"

Maki grabbed Rin by the collar of her shirt. "THAT WAS YOU WHO TRIPPED ME?! A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SAW MY PANTIES; I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Rin was once more saved from demise when Nozomi barged in through the back door.

"Sorry I took so long; where is the romance emergency?" Nozomi asked in as serious a tone as she could muster.

"Wait a minute, how did you get here in seconds?" Maki asked, bewildered at the woman's speed.

"Spiritual power, now show me what I've got to work with." Rin led Nozomi over to the door where they both peeked out to Kotori and Umi.

"Umi-chan wants to date Kotori-chan, and Kotori-chan definitely likes Umi-chan back, but they're both being dummies about it-nya."

Nozomi nodded, and kept her serious act up. "Ah, a classic case. I know exactly what to do, just follow my lead, okay?" Rin saluted Nozomi and assumed her station behind the pots used for boiling noodles.

"You guys are so stupid! When Umi finds out and kills you both, I'm going to laugh at your funerals." Maki walked away so that she wouldn't be swept up in the duo's nonsense.

"Maki-chan doesn't believe in love-nya.."

"Oh yes she does, Rin-chan. She's just too embarrassed to admit it."

"Well.. If you say so, nya."

"Anyway, here's what we're going to do." Nozomi leaned over to whisper her plan to Rin, and once receiving a murmur of approval from the small girl, made her way over to her two friends.

"Nozomi-chan, what are you doing here?" Kotori asked in happy surprise. Umi smiled in greeting as well.

"Hello, Nozomi."

"Heya guys, I was just stopping by to visit Rin-chan. Kotori-chan, I see you've met Umi-chan." Nozomi sat next to Kotori and made herself comfortable.

"Yep, she's really sweet!" _"And gorgeous..."_ Kotori thought to herself.

"Well, I'll bet there are a _bunch_ of things that Umi-chan didn't tell you about herself."

"Ohh? Like what?" Umi caught on to what Nozomi was doing and frantically signaled for her to stop.

"Like did you know that Umi-chan once gave a puppy CPR and saved its life?"

Kotori gasped and turned to Umi. "Wow, Umi-chan, you're such a sweetheart!"

" _No,_ I did not give a puppy CPR. I once stopped a dog from getting too far into the water, but that was it."

"That still makes you a hero!" Kotori swooned, but still cursed the fact that Umi supposedly was not looking for a relationship with her.

"And," Nozomi kept going, her smirk ever growing in size. "Umi has a full on 10-pack, she's that ripped."

"Nozomi, that is just ridiculous! Nobody has a 10-pack! I have a very modest 6-pack, which is normal."

"Which I have seen, and it is very nice." Umi blushed, as Kotori gained the upper hand in this conversation.

"Maybe you've seen it, but has Umi let you _feel_ it?" Umi moved to stop Nozomi, but wasn't fast enough. The spiritual girl took Kotori's hand and placed it onto Umi's abs.

Kotori and Umi both almost died on the spot. Umi from the sheer embarrassment of it all, and Kotori from the smooth muscles pressed up against her finger-tips.

"Nozomi, this is ENOUGH!" Umi squeaked out with as much might as she could muster; a vein began to throb in her temple.

Nozomi was smart enough to know that this look meant if she didn't stop, she and everything within a 10 kilometer-radius was going to be annihilated. "Fine, fine, I suppose you've gone through enough." Nozomi let go of Kotori's hand, said girl pulling her fingers away from Umi's stomach.

The excitement died down a bit, but shot back up as soon as Rin burst into the room. "UMI-CHAN ONCE KNOCKED OUT 3 BEARS AT THE SAME TIME AND DIDN'T EVEN GET A SCRATCH-NYA!"

"THAT'S IT; YOU TWO ARE COMING WITH ME!" Umi shot up and dragged Nozomi and Rin away by their hair, Kotori left to sit and ponder everything that just happened to her.

Umi slammed the kitchen door shut, so whatever they said would be muffled. Nozomi pouted while she lightly smoothed out one of her twin-tails, and Rin sniffled as she massaged her own scalp. "I demand an explanation right now!"

Maki mouthed from across the room, _"I told you so."_

"Rin-chan told me you and Kotori-chan were having a romance-emergency. She was definitely right, the sexual tension between you two is stronger than mine and Ericchi's. Okay, maybe not _that_ strong-"

"Shut up! There is no romance-emergency, there is no romance to begin with! Kotori doesn't even want to be with me, so stop trying to force something to happen!" Umi stomped back out, and sighed as she took her seat back.

"This is much harder than I thought.. Rin-chan, I need you to help me come up with a backup plan. Maki-chan, take notes."

Maki shook her head and walked out the door that Nozomi entered through. "I'm sick of all this; I'm going home."

Nozomi and Rin boo'd to show their disapproval, but Maki couldn't care less. "Maki-chan's lame-nya."

"Oh well, she's just going to miss out on all the fun stuff. Now Rin-chan, do you guys have spaghetti noodles here?"

"Yeah, they're in that cupboard over there-nya."

"Perfect, I hope you're thinking what I'm thinking." Nozomi waggled her eyebrows and tapped her fingers together.

"We're going to throw spaghetti at them until they confess to each other-nya?"

"No, but I admire your spunk. You know that old scene where the guy and the girl accidentally eat the same noodle and kiss, right? We're going to get that to happen with Kotori-chan and Umi-chan."

"Oh, ohhh! I'll start cooking-nya!" Rin got out the quickest-cooking noodles they had, and brought out a pot of leftover sauce from earlier that day. "I should be done in about 5 minutes-nya!"

"Plan B is officially in action!" The 5 minutes zipped by in what seemed more like 5 seconds. The tomato-sauce was now warmed up, and the noodles boiled to a perfect texture. "Now serve them that spaghetti, but make it seem like there was only one plate, so they _have_ to share it."

"Gotcha, nya!" Rin hurriedly put a pile of semi-wet spaghetti onto a large plate, and drizzled some steaming sauce over it until the dish was thoroughly coated. She then proudly presented it to the potential couple with a small flourish in her motions.

"Um, Rin, we ate just a bit ago.." Umi grabbed a fork in spite of her words.

"That doesn't mean you can't have more; eat to your heart's content-nya!" Rin bowed and skipped back into the kitchen to watch the results of their plan alongside Nozomi. "Do you think it will work-nya?"

"It was me who helped you get Maki-chan and Nico-chan together, no?"

"Hmm.. Good point-nya!" Eagerly, they watched Kotori and Umi take tentative bites of the meal together. They waited for the inevitable event where the two would share a noodle and meet up in the middle for a kiss.

And they waited some more. And some more.. And some more, until eventually the plate was nearly finished. Rin began to panic. "Nozomi-chan, it's not working-nya!"

Nozomi bit her thumb in nervousness. "Are you sure those noodles were long enough?"

Rin smacked herself when she realized what she'd done wrong. "Crap! Those were pot-sized noodles-nya, so of course they won't be long enough for them to share one!"

Nozomi tried to think of a new plan, but her thought-process was interrupted when two new guests entered the shack.

"Kotori-chan! Umi-san!" Honoka ran up to give her friend a hug. "Glad you guys are still here! Tsubasa-san and I just finished our date."

Kotori gratefully returned the hug, and opted not to point out the red lipstick stains all over Honoka's face (that "mysteriously" were the exact same shade as the lipstick Tsubasa was wearing). "Honoka-chan, how'd it go?"

Tsubasa sat down next to Umi, and the two pairs broke off into their own conversations.

"I'm telling you, Kotori-chan, she's the one! She likes to cook, she's really fun to be with, and she tells jokes that are as lame as mine!"

Honoka's giddiness quickly spread to Kotori. "I'm glad you had such a fun time! I've been having fun with Umi-chan too, but.."

Honoka caught on to the shift in mood, and lowered her voice in concern."But?"

Meanwhile, Tsubasa and Umi were talking about Umi's inability to ask out Kotori. "I don't get you. You really want to date her, so what's stopping you?"

Umi shrugged and stared off into space. "I'm not picking up any signs from her. I think she just wants to be friends. Aside from that, isn't it wrong of me to try to ask her out after I save her?"

"Umi, _please,_ " Tsubasa rolled her eyes. "I rescued Honoka, who was buck-naked if you remember, and look at us. Stop being so selfless, and do something for yourself for once!" That perked Umi up the slightest bit.

In the kitchen, Nozomi and Rin were sobbing about how none of their plans worked. "Nozomi-chan, is it time t-to give up-nya?" Rin sneezed into the handkerchief from before.

"Yep, I think it's time we throw in the towel, Rin-chan." Just as they were off to cry by themselves in a corner, the drama meter kicked back up to full-gauge.

Honoka jolted out of her seat, a determined and angry look on her face. She picked up the ice tea that was mostly water by now, and stomped her way over to Umi.

Confused, Umi looked up at Honoka. "Is there a problem?" This set Honoka over the edge, and she then threw the glass of tea all over the lifeguard.

Kotori and Tsubasa gaped; Nozomi's and Rin's eyes widened at the new development, and Umi only sat there as the sugary beverage soaked into her hair and clothes. "HOW DARE YOU!" Honoka shouted directly at her. "KOTORI-CHAN IS WORTHY OF WAY BETTER GIRLS THAN YOU; I'LL BET SHE COULD FIND A GIRL WITH BETTER LOOKS, AND A MUCH BETTER PERSONALITY!"

All of Honoka's words jabbed into Umi's heart. "I know all of that; where is this coming from?!"

Nozomi rushed to make some popcorn; Rin promised to tell her any juicy details that happened while she did so.

"Don't ask dumb questions like that! How could you say that you don't want Kotori-chan as your girlfriend? There are tons of people _dying_ to be in your situation!"

"Wait, where did you hear that?" Umi frowned as she shifted her gaze to Kotori.

"I um, overheard you talking to Rin-chan and Maki-chan.." Kotori stared at the floor to avoid eye-contact. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to eavesdrop.."

This time, it was Tsubasa's turn to punish Umi. She placed a clean smack across the back of her head. "Umi, you're an idiot! You probably didn't "pick up any vibes" because of _that!_ "

Umi glared at her co-worker, but shook it off so she could get things straight with Kotori. "I'm sorry I said that, but I honestly didn't mean it.. I really like you, Kotori."

While Umi paused, Nozomi returned to Rin with a bowl of fresh popcorn. Rin filled in as many details as she could through all the popcorn she began shoving into her mouth.

"Does that mean you _do_ want to be my girlfriend?" Kotori hopefully beamed.

"I do." Both of them turned so they could wrap each other in a hug; Honoka and Tsubasa began cheering, and Nozomi and Rin high-fived each other despite having nothing to do with this.

"Kiss her-nyaaaa!" Rin now openly shouted rather than whispering. "Kiss her! Kiss her!" Soon Nozomi, Tsubasa, and Honoka joined in on her chant. Much to the small crowd's pleasure, Kotori and Umi finally shared a gentle kiss. This one was much more enjoyable than the "kiss" they'd shared while Kotori was knocked out. When the clapping began, Umi pulled away with a scarlet blush, but Kotori wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

"It's a happy ending-nya! I just wish Maki-chan was here to see it, hmph.." Rin pouted to Nozomi, who was looking past the new couple.

"Well, Rin-chan, looks like you may get your wish." Maki looked from Kotori and Umi, to Nozomi and Rin, to Tsubasa and Honoka (who began their own kissing session after Kotori's and Umi's came to an end).

"Did I walk in on some kind of make-out orgy? I just wanted to get my house-keys for Christ's sake."

"Aww, Maki-chan, don't be a grump-nya! Look at the new couples! Besides, it can't be a group make-out session when Eri-chan's not here for Nozomi-chan nya."

"What about me?" Maki gawked in disbelief when Eri seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Oh nothing, Ericchi. Rin-chan and I have just been doing some 'assisting' with Kotori-chan and Umi-chan, hehe."

Eri looked confused, but shrugged it off before taking her spot next to Nozomi. "Goodness, almost everyone we know is here! And- wait, Honoka is with Tsubasa? Since when do they even know each other?! Come to think of it, Kotori and Umi didn't know each other before either.." Eri tried to wrap her head around just what on Earth was going on, Nozomi patting her back to help.

Maki's own head began to hurt from all the separate conversations going on. "Who else is going to show up, Nico-chan?!"

"Geez, Maki-chan, no need to shout my name.." Maki whirled around in time to see her short girlfriend walking through the door with Rin's girlfriend, Hanayo.

"Yeah, don't you do enough of that in bed?" Nozomi teased from the other side of the room. A blushing Nico started to yell at the purple-haired woman, while the much quieter girl walked over to Rin.

"Oooh, Kayo-chin, when did you get here-nya?" Before they could get caught up, 9 people turned when a loud thud was heard. "Uwahhh, Maki-chan fainted-nya!"

"Oh dear, time to get to work again." Tsubasa stood up from her seat, and hustled over to Maki. "Shoot, looks like she'll need CPR." She leaned over to begin, but Nico pulled Maki away from her at lightning speed.

"I think I can take it from here, there's nothing Nico-nii can't do!" A jealous Nico huffed as she protectively stood by Maki.

"Really, you know CPR?" Eri doubtingly called from across the room.

"Well, sure! I've done it plenty of times.." Nico nervously began to pump Maki's chest and blow air past her parted lips, but everyone could tell that she had no idea what she was doing.

"Nico, please just let Tsubasa take care of it." Umi placed her head in her palms and sighed. Nico shamefully backed off with another huff of air, and let Tsubasa administer "proper" CPR.

"This has been a really fun," Kotori paused to take a peek at Tsubasa trying to wake Maki up. "...And eventful evening, but I should really be getting home. You too, Honoka-chan." She regretfully looked to her new girlfriend and her best friend.

"Aw man, you're right... But I wanna stay with Tsubasa-sannnn!" Honoka pouted and threw her arms around Kotori, begging to stay.

"I know, but your parents will kill you if you stay out for any longer. And my mom is going to kill me if I don't get going, so.." Umi nodded in understanding, hopping up from her stool.

"May I at least take you home?" She slowly took Kotori's hand, and gave a gentle smile that nearly swept Kotori off her feet all over again.

"S-sure.. I don't think there are any buses that run this late though. Are you okay with a 30 minute walk?" Umi nodded, and Honoka was off to the side squealing.

"Oooooh, you have such a gentlemanly girlfriend, Kotori-chan!"

"Um, I saved you earlier today, and just helped Maki start breathing again. Am I not a gentleman?" Tsubasa teasingly called from her spot on the ground next to a now conscious (and irritable) Maki.

"Nonono, of course you're a gentleman too!" Honoka assured repeatedly, causing Tsubasa to laugh and tease her further.

"Anyway," Umi began to lead the two girls out of the place, waving back to the rest.

"Bye bye!" The other couples plus Tsubasa waved back at them; Nozomi winked playfully at the trio, and Rin aggressively jumped up and down as she waved with both hands.

"So, where do you live?" Kotori pointed out the way, and now having an idea of where to go, Umi linked their arms together to continue their walk. Honoka trailed not too far behind; she wanted to allow the pair to have at least a sliver of privacy.

"Umi-chan, we'll go out again soon, right? Hopefully without a bunch of misunderstandings next time." Umi happily assured Kotori that they would go on a second date, this satisfying her greatly.

"Wait.." During all the talk of second dates, Honoka realized something important. "I FORGOT TO GET TSUBASA-SAN'S NUMBER, AHHHHH! HOW AM I GONNA TALK TO HER?!"

"You know you can just come back to the beach, right?" Umi advised Honoka.

"Oh... right!" Honoka smiled widely and walked with a skip in her step.

"Is she always like this?.." Umi carefully whispered to Kotori, who giggled and nodded in response. "Pretty much, yes. But her heart's in the right place."

The small group carried on in near-silence, the only sound being Honoka's quiet humming. It was soon that they found themselves in front of Kotori's house, much to Kotori and Umi's dismay. "Aw, I guess this is my stop.." Kotori pouted, jutting out her lower lip. "Please stop by my house some time, alright, Umi-chan?" Kotori lightly kissed Umi on the cheek, and the lifeguard blushed heavily while stuttering out a reply.

"Y-yeah, a-and you be sure to come by the beach.." Umi abashedly scratched the back of her neck, but managed to return a small wave when Kotori reached her door. Once the girl disappeared inside, it was just Umi and Honoka left.

"So uh, are you going back to the ramen shack then?" Honoka absentmindedly kicked at a stray pebble as she spoke.

"Most likely, yes. Are you walking back to your house?"

"Yeah. One thing before you go, though." Umi curiously glanced at Honoka, wondering what the clumsy girl had to say. "If you ever hurt Kotori-chan, I am going to become your worst nightmare." Honoka tried to be as tough-looking as possible, but tripped over her own feet on her trek to Umi.

"I would never hurt her, ever!" Umi assured Honoka, and just to make sure she was clear, repeated herself several more times.

"Good, because if you mess with Kotori-chan, you mess with me!" Honoka began to make exaggerated sound-effects, and threw in a few air-kicks and punches for good measure.

"I wouldn't dream of it. But, Honoka, I have to get walking back now. See you and Kotori at the beach another time?"

"Yep, see you later Umi-cha-AAAHH!" Honoka tripped and sprawled on the ground while she made her way to her own house. "Ow..."

Umi winced, and after confirming that Honoka was indeed okay, ran her way back to the beach shack. Her head was full of thoughts of Kotori, and hoped that her new girlfriend would stop by again soon. With a blissful sigh, she re-opened the door to the small business, and found that Nozomi and Rin were the only ones left.

"Oh, Umi-chan, you're back nya! It sure took you a long time." Umi let out a small hum in response, taking a seat in front of the two girls.

"I'll bet she was just too busy getting to _third base_ with Kotori-chan, hmm Umi-chan?" Nozomi smirked and propped her face against her hand.

Umi groaned, while Rin looked like she was in agreement with this idea. "Yeah, probably! Um, what is third base-nya?" Nozomi opened her mouth to speak, but Umi hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.

"Nozomi, _no_! Don't ruin Rin's innocence with that filth!" Nozomi struggled to talk past the wall of flesh in front of her, while Rin grew more and more confused. Umi then suddenly retracted her hand in disgust. "Why would you _lick_ my hand?!"

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, y'know?" Umi spent the rest of the night "defending Rin's innocence" from the "evil" Nozomi.

 **A/N: More KotoUmi because they're so good together, and I love writing for them. Hope you enjoyed; I shall see you in the next fic I do!**


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